Robert Schomburgk (1840-1865)
Deconstructing the Victoria Amazonica (Victoria Regia) or the Giant water lily In light of the beauty and distinctiveness of the Victoria Amazonica, and its reputation as one of the world’s largest plants – it is said also to have been the inspiration for the architect of the Crystal Palace in London – the flower was adopted as Guyana’s national flower when the country gained its independence.
It can also be found on the shield of the country’s coat of arms, and is said to represent the rare and illustrious plant, and is a symbol of Guyana’s bountiful flora.
When German botanist Robert Schomburgk discovered the giant water lily in British Guiana on Jan. 1 of his 1837 expedition in the Berbice River region, the plant was already known to European science, having been discovered in South America at the beginning of the 19th century.
It is said that it was Bohemian botanist and naturalist Tadeáš Haenke who, in 1801, sent to Bolivia by the Spanish government to investigate the flora there, discovered the lily but never recorded his discovery. Then in 1819, French botanist Aime Bonpland saw the lily near Corrientes, Argentina, and sent its description to France.
The Victoria Regia on the shield (top) of the coat of arms. The coat of arms is a composite of the artwork of three Guyanese artists.
Alcide d’Orbigny, who saw the plant in Argentina in 1827 and Bolivia in 1833, published his accounts in 1840. He noted that the Guarani Indians of Argentina called it the Yrupe which literally meant “water-platter”. In 1832 Eduard Poeppig found it on the Amazon and gave the first published account of it that same year, under the name Euryale Amazonica. Consequently, the name became mired in uncertainty. Poeppig named the lily Euryale Amazonica, assuming that it belonged to the same genus as the Asian Euryale Ferox; something botanists later refuted, recognising that the giant water lily of South America has its own distinct characteristics.
Victoria Amazonica on a river. The flower is white and only blooms at night (opens at dusk, closes by noon); its colour changes when it is pollinated to a pink-purple.
Alcide d’Orbigny called it the Victoria Cruziana in honour of then general Santa Cruz of Bolivia. But the name has now been reserved for what scientists call the “less tropical species” found in Argentina. Schomburgk himself called it Nymphæa Victoria upon his discovery, but in a journal he named it the Victoria Regina. However, it was English botanist and horticulturist Dr John Lindley, to whom Schomburgk sent his specimens, who is credited with naming the plant the Victoria Regia in honour of British Queen Victoria in 1837.
Poeppig’s Euryale Amazonica was renamed Victoria Amazonica, which, due to prior publication, today takes precedence over Victoria regia. Modern research now raises questions whether it should be Victoria Regia or Victoria Regina, though it has been suggested that Victoria Regina was an early press error.
BY GUYANA TIMES INTERNATIONAL